MSC Sumchanka produced a performance of a lifetime to become the first Ukrainian club to win a top level EuroHockey Club competition of any description.
Having eliminated German champions Mannheimer HC on Saturday evening – who they will meet in the EHL FINAL12 at Easter – they came back from 2-0 down in the last quarter of the final against Dutch side SCHC to win gold via a shoot-out in Šiauliai, Lithuania.
** Pictures: Frank Uijlenbroek/World Sport Pics
Both sides had their chances in a scoreless first quarter before Anna de Geus broke the deadlock in the 12th minute when she turned in the ball at the back post from a Julie Smorenburg and Maud van den Heuvel’s excellent build-up play.
Van den Heuvel then used her favoured spin move to whip in the second goal from mid-circle to make it 2-0 to the Dutch side.
They went close in Q3 to grabbing a third, Elzemiek Zandee’s rising shot kissing the outside of the post on the way to safety.
Sumchanka hung tough through that phase and then ramped up the intensity in the final quarter. Kateryna Popova’s brilliant step forward created their first goal with seven minutes left, feeding the ball to Karyna Leonova who picked it up with her back to goal to spin and score.
And they got an inspired equaliser soon after, switching from right board to the left, back into Leonova whose first time pass found Popova on the baseline to fire in and make it 2-2.
Back came SCHC with a couple of corners, one of which was brilliantly saved off the line by Valeriia Zaitseva. It finished in frantic style with both sides having final minute openings but it went to a shoot-out.
There, Sumchanka produced the perfect set with Anastasiia Shyshyna and Leonova scoring both while Yuliia Dubovychenko saved brilliantly from Zandee to spark the celebrations.